Tuesday, November 27, 2007

British Teacher Arrested For Insulting Islam

Recently in the news, stupid things are happening. Rob Crilly/Khartoum of Time magazine writes:

"It probably seemed like the most innocent of ideas to the newly arrived teacher from England, still settling into life in the Sudanese capital Khartoum. She asked her class of six- and seven-year-olds to dress up and name a teddy bear, and keep a diary of his outings. She hoped it would provide material for projects for the rest of the year. And it might have, except for the name the children chose for their bear: Muhammad."

She is facing charges for insulting Islam, a possible 40 Lashes plus up to 6 months in prison or a fine. Pretty ridiculous if you ask me. Unless I'm mistaken, Muhammad is a pretty common name, not exclusive to Muslims, I know at least one Christian who's name is Muhammad. I think this is getting a little out of hand. I mean, if someone names a teddy bear George, are they insulting America? And then, what about stuff like this:

Which is more offensive? A teddy bear that happens to have the same name as the major prophet of your religion, or a cheap action figure of your god with a machine gun?